Crist vetoes $45 million in appropriations to USF

Gov. Charlie Crist axed more than $371 million from the Legislature's proposed $70.4-billion state budget, including $45 million for the University of South Florida's growing Lakeland campus.

The veto news wasn't all bad for the region, however. Crist also rejected a measure that would have extracted $19 million from the Tampa-Hillsborough County Expressway Authority.

The revised, $70.1 billion budget signed by Crist on Friday, takes effect July 1.

Of Crist's vetoes, more than a third came from a raid on the state's trust fund that supports highway construction and other transportation projects, which lawmakers had used to patch other areas of the budget, primarily education.

Jerry McDaniel, budget director for Crist, said the veto would not lower school funding because dollars left unspent in the budget would fill the gap. The budget includes $404.4 million for voluntary prekindergarten funding, a 10 percent increase, and $6,843.51 per-student for K-12 schools, a $1.22 increase above current spending.

Crist refused to spend $35 million for construction on the USF's Polytechnic Campus in Lakeland or an additional $10 million earmarked for the campus' new pharmacy school. Another $1 million for an interdisciplinary wellness research center on the campus was likewise rejected.

In a general email to staff, faculty and students, USF President Judy Genshaft called the veto "very disappointing." But there was good news as well, she said.

The governor let stand millions for the university, including $10 million for Polytechnic operations, $6 million for the pharmacy program (which will operate in Tampa until facilities at Polytechnic are ready) and $1 million for the USF College of Medicine.

"The good part was preserving operational funding for pharmacy and Polytechnic. We'll have to handle the construction budget issues in the future," said USF spokesman Michael Hoad.

USF will also get $8 million to continue construction of its new science complex on the Tampa campus.

"Given the recession, this was a stable budget year," Hoad said.

But Senate budget chief JD Alexander, of Lake Wales, was livid. "I think it's really unfortunate that the governor is acting on a personal vendetta against some leaders in the Legislature in a way that will hurt students and other people in the region," he said.

Alexander accused Crist of flip-flopping on USF's Lakeland campus, which the governor had publicly supported in the past.

Tensions between Crist and GOP lawmakers intensified through the session as he vetoed several prized bills and then left the Republican Party to run as a no-party candidate for U.S. Senate.

Among Crist's vetoes, $35 million for Florida International University, in the district of House budget chief David Rivera, R-Miami Beach, and the employer of Marco Rubio, Crist's GOP rival in the Senate race.

McDaniel said the governor rejected several higher education projects because they appeared too late in the budgeting process, they weren't shovel-ready or the amount budgeted exceeded recommendations from the state Board of Governors.

Friday evening, legislative leaders issued a series of scathing attacks on the governor's decisions.

"New construction sites on our educational and research centers would not only have provided much needed jobs, but would have helped Florida protect its rightful place on the world stage of superior Universities and Colleges," Senate President Jeff Atwater said in a letter to his chamber."

House Speaker Larry Cretul directly questioned Crist's authority to make some of the vetoes, threatening a possible lawsuit.

"The House has successfully challenged the Governor when he has exceeded his constitutional authority before, and we are prepared to do so again. The rule of law is at stake, and no one, not even the Governor, is above the principles set forth in Florida's state constitution."

Thanks to another line-item veto, Tampa-Hillsborough County Expressway Authority will keep $19 million that lawmakers had intended to take from it.

Senate leaders had originally proposed taking as much as $69 million from the authority, since it owes the state more than $120 million. Similar authorities around the state likewise have outstanding loans, but Alexander targeted only the Bay area -- in part, he said, to protest the transportation trust fund sweep that Plant City Rep. Rich Glorioso had pushed on behalf of House leaders.

Alexander ultimately agreed to taking $19 million. But in his veto letter, Crist said such a move "threatens a long-term working relationship" between the state and local transportation authority.

Glorioso, the House's transportation budget chairman, applauded the veto. "That money belongs to the people of Hillsborough County," he said. The money will allow the authority to restructure its debt to contribute to the widening and re-decking of the Selmon Crosstown Expressway in downtown Tampa.

"This is a very important first step," said Joe Waggoner, authority executive, who was surprised by the governor's decision.

Glorioso lamented the loss of $1 million, however, for improvements to Turkey Creek Road to bolster business and restore jobs at an industrial park in Plant City. The city is taking on the project, he said, but given the city's limited resources, Glorioso had tried to bolster funding for it.

Glorioso said he was glad to see Crist approve about $500,000 to complete the Brandon Community Center and shelter, however.